YOUR Health

Recently I was reading about the pharmaceutical industry’s record profits (we’ll talk about the oil industry another time). Let’s simplify things a little, and look at what’s going on. If we look at the health/medical/pharmaceutical industry and the American people’s money as a pool of money divided up from a pie, we can keep it simple. If we pay our doctors directly, we eliminate the huge cut the middleman takes away. That means the managed care system doesn’t get paid. Hmmm…that means a lot more saved by the patient, and more profit for the doctor. Doctors have been found taking handouts (and bribes) from these companies to push their drugs.  Big pharma contributes more to state and federal elections than any other industry. That should tell you something, don’t trust them!

Think about the pharmaceutical companies. They put more money into advertising than R&D. The US and New Zealand are the only countries that allow direct advertising to the patient. Does that make sense? You’re paying for them to sell you something. No thanks. I think I’ll just use natural remedies. It’s a heck of a lot better on the environment. We won’t pollute all our waterways with antidepressants, keep our frogs male and female, thankyouverymuch. We will be able to eat the fish!

Look at all those insurance companies. All that money has come from OUR pie, the one that used to be shared between doctor and patient. The doctors get paid less, the patients pay more. Why does that make sense? All those buildings, salaries, paperwork, meetings, phone calls, lawsuits cost part of the pie! People are denied coverage, even though they’ve paid and paid huge premiums for years.  

I remember when I was pregnant with my son, 20 years ago. I wanted to have CVS (chorionic villus sampling) instead of amniocentesis. I needed to get approval right away, as I was quickly approaching the deadline for having the procedure. When I called my provider, it was Wednesday, and I could only have the test Friday morning. The woman that was to approve the procedure didn’t call me back. I left a few messages, and finally, called a general number. I explained my predicament. She said the person I was looking for had left Thursday, that day (with a 3 hour time difference!), for an early weekend. I was given a verbal OK to have the procedure.

The only place between Sacramento and Los Angeles that did this testing was UCSF. I scheduled the procedure, and everything turned out fine. About a month later, my insurance company told me I would only be reimbursed about 50% of the cost of the procedure because it was ‘reasonable and customary’ for the area. Reasonable and customary? Calling the company, I was informed they survey other hospitals and clinics in the area to ascertain the approved amount. Of course, I wrote a scathing letter to the company, and my employer. It was eventually covered.

My point: We have given over so much of our health care to others. How about we take it back? The last time I went to see my PCP was probably over a decade ago. My chiropractor (ask me for her name, she’s great!) takes care of little things or imbalances that are physical, my homeopath (another great one!) takes care of the rest. My healthy diet (OK, not always) and exercise take care of the rest. I don’t need all those expensive tests. I don’t like mammograms, thought they were a waste (yes, I did have thermography though, and I paid for it myself). Now it turns out they don’t really do much. Same with PSA; the medical community has now come to the conclusion it isn’t really a significant indicator of cancer. Read some medical trial information. Read between the lines. Are they studying natural vitamin E in the Finnish men that developed lung cancer? No, a synthetic, and only alpha tocopherol. It didn't prove anything. If you don’t like reading between the lines, ask someone else (that is healthy) what they do. Dry skin? Fish oil. Joint pain? Curcumin, ginger, glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin. Eat greens. Eat well.

What about cholesterol? HDL? LDL? All these things were so important 10 or 20 years ago. Not anymore. I say we go back to the beginning: You are responsible for your health. If you’re not healthy, find out what you need by seeing an alternative health practioner. Address the issues. If you need help, ask.